Supplements With Maltodextrin. Good Or Bad For Endurance Athletes

by Matt Mosman, MS, CISSN, CSCS

Video Transcription:

Why Endurance Athletes Should Never Consume A Sports Drink That Contains Maltodextrin

Matt: Good morning family of fast, Matt Mosman, the Chief Endurance Officer over at EndurElite. What is the one common ingredient found in 90% of the sports drinks on the market today? The answer is maltodextrin. Now, maltodextrin is a carbohydrate that's derived from corn. Basically, they take a bunch of corn, they press the shit out of it, a liquid comes out, and they dry it, and this is maltodextrin.

Maltodextrin Is Cheap

Now, a lot of companies will tell you that maltodextrin is a superior carbohydrate and that's why they use it. But that could not be further from the truth. They use maltodextrin because it is absolutely dirt cheap and it's no way a superior carbohydrate. Now, beyond being dirt cheap, maltodextrin is a major gut irritant, and there could also be some long-term health consequences if you're taking maltodextrin through a sports drink on a consistent basis. So, what I want you to do today is listen to this two-minute video by my colleague, Dr. Eric Serrano, and he's gonna explain again what maltodextrin is, and what he's found in some of his studies in humans that have used maltodextrin. I think you're going to find it very eye-opening and at the end of this video, you're gonna wanna throw any sports drink you may have with maltodextrin in it out the window. So, sit back and enjoy this two-minute video by Dr. Eric Serrano.

Why Supplement Companies Use Maltodextrin

Dr. Eric: It's a carbohydrate. It's a sugar, right? And almost every freaking supplement has that. Do you guys know why every supplement has that? Because it's freaking cheap, number one. Number two, do you know what's that made out of?

Audience Member: Corn.

How Is Maltodextrin Made?

Dr. Eric: Corn. I went to see how they make this. So, they take all this corn and of course the pretty corn they gave to you at the store. So, you can see it because you gonna eat it and you don't wanna eat an ugly corn, right? So, they pump these things and they squeeze the shit out of the corn, they make a liquid. The liquid they dry it and they give it to you because you're the dumbass that's gonna take my junk out that I'm gonna throw out, I'm gonna give it to you.

Maltodextrin Is A Major Stomach Irritant

Now, for those people that take a little maltodextrin here, I have some great research on this. I did it with humans in my office. I only gave maltodextrin to 11 people, just maltodextrin, carbohydrates. They love it, "Oh, this makes me feel awesome." What happened at the end of four weeks? Belly pain, they don't feel right. But it can't be that because I'm doing well with my workout. Well, I wanna show you something. This is a story done with soy and GM maize diet. You know what GM is? Genetically modified corn diet. That's what all we need for maltodextrin. This is what they use in the industry. That's what they call it. And they have stomachs. Do you guys see the stomachs right there?

Maltodextrin May Cause Cancer Or Ulcers

This study. Well, they followed the stomachs and these stomachs were only followed for a few weeks. I wanna see what happens to your stomach when you're taking maltodextrin. What happened when you were taking maltodextrin? At the end of 12 weeks, all the stomachs had either cancer, ulcers, or something going on. And you guys eat this shit. I had never ever put maltodextrin in any of my protein shakes, ever. I don't wanna do it again. Why? Because I don't wanna hurt you. Okay? I'm not making this up. You guys can read there when you get the research. You can look it up. This is only one paper. I have a bunch of them, but you guys eat this shit over and over. I want you guys to be aware.

Matt: So, after watching that I don't think anybody can tell me that they wanna keep on taking their sports drinks with maltodextrin. Beyond being the major gut irritant and the research that he was talking about, nobody in their right mind should be taking maltodextrin in their sports drinks. And that's why we didn't include it in SustainElite.

So, that is all I have for today my endurance friends. If you have a buddy who takes a sports drink with maltodextrin, please share this video with them. If you want other information on endurance training, nutrition, and supplementation, subscribe to the EndurElite YouTube channel or head on over to the EndurElite blog at www.endurelite.com. Get social with us on Instagram, and the Facebook Training & Nutrition Club page. And until next time my endurance friends, stay fuelled, stay focused, and stay fast.